Bronxville chief says Watson Morgan's police work had no role in Clarkstown murder-suicide

In an interview Wednesday, Bronxville Police Chief Christopher Satriale said the grisly murder-suicide by a Bronxville officer, who allegedly killed his family, was unrelated to his police work.

Satriale emphasized his belief that Sgt. Watson Morgan's job as a police officer "had nothing to do with the crimes he committed."

In the waning days of 2023, Morgan is believed to have shot and killed his wife Ornela, and their two sons, Gabriel, 12, and Liam, 10, at the family's home in New City before killing himself. Satriale said that Morgan's privately owned pistol was used to commit the act, not his service weapon.

Speculation about the role of Morgan's employment had been raised largely because he was under disciplinary investigation when he killed his family and himself. However, the incident at issue was relatively minor, not dissimilar from other discipline Morgan had received in the past.

"It’s pretty clear to us that the motivation had nothing to do with his job," Satriale said. "We're still struggling for answers."

Morgan was at the police department the night before, according to Satriale, and was planning on retiring from the department. The decision to retire was Morgan's, and he had a security guard job lined up for when his retirement was accepted, the chief added. He also said there were no previously known issues with any routine psychiatric examinations Morgan would have undergone as an officer.

The New York Attorney General's Office and Clarkstown Police Department are investigating the killings.

Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Clarkstown murder-suicide: Bronxville police work had no role: chief